This invention relates generally to surge protection devices for protecting telecommunications related equipment from power and transient surges. More particularly, it relates to an improved 5-pin surge protector module formed of a two-piece interfitting housing which receives a single miniature printed circuit board for mounting a Category 5 (as well as newer revisions, such as Category 6 and Category E)/circuit surge protector device so as to protect a single pair of telephone lines against transient voltage and current surges.
As is generally well-known to those skilled in the telecommunications industry, modern telecommunications equipment is susceptible to transient surges such as those caused by lightning strikes and other surges on the transmission lines. Thus, various arrangements of surge protector circuits are known in the prior art which have been provided for connecting to each pair of incoming telephone lines so as to be normally non-conductive but are rendered conductive when a high voltage surge exceeds a predetermined breakdown voltage (e.g., 250 V) for protecting the equipment. Each pair of incoming telephone lines includes a xe2x80x9ctipxe2x80x9d line and a xe2x80x9cringxe2x80x9d line. Each of the tip and ring lines is typically connected to a conventional 5-pin surge protector module via a protector block. One of the five pins is connected to an incoming tip line. A second one of the five pins is connected to an incoming ring line. A third one of the five pins is connected to an outgoing tip line. A fourth one of the five pins is connected to an outgoing ring line. A fifth one is connected to a ground potential. However, the conventional 5-pin surge protector module does not meet the current Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) for Category 5 specification (TIA/EIA Standard 568A).
There is also known in the prior art of a circuit protection assembly for protecting telecommunications related equipment having up to 25-pairs of wires from transient voltage/current surges and also meets the TIA specification for Category 5. Such a Category 5/25-pair circuit protection assembly of the prior art is described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,093 to M. Masghati issued on Oct. 17, 2000 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. However, there has not been available heretofore to the knowledge of the inventors of a Category 5 (as well as newer revisions, such as Category 6 and Category E)/5-pin surge protector module for protecting only a single pair of telephone lines.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved 5-pin surge protector module for protecting only a single pair of telephone lines and yet still meets the TIA specification for Category 5 (as well as newer revisions, such as Category 6 and Category E). Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have developed such an improved Category 5 (as well as newer revisions, such as Category 6 and Category E)/5-pin surge protector module.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved 5-pin surge protector module which is relatively simple and economical to manufacture and assembly but has been traditionally unavailable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved Category 5 (as well as newer revisions, such as Category 6 and Category E)/5-pin surge protector module for protecting only a single pair of telephone lines.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved 5-pin surge protector module formed of a two-piece interfitting housing which receives a single miniature printed circuit board for mounting a Category 5 (as well as newer revisions, such as Category 6 and Category E)/circuit surge protector device.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a circuit surge protector module for protecting telecommunications related equipment and the like from transient voltage and current surges which includes a housing formed of a co-mating base member and a cover member. The cover member has a top wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposed side walls all formed integrally together. Input tip and ring pins, output tip and ring pins and a ground pin extend outwardly from the base member. A printed circuit board sub-assembly includes a miniature printed circuit board, a header formed on one end of the printed circuit board and jumper wires. The miniature printed circuit board is fixedly joined to the base member via the header and the jumper wires. A circuit surge protector device is mounted on the miniature printed circuit board. The surge protector device includes voltage suppressors and four banks of diodes.